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UN FAO International Mountain Day. International Mountain Day celebration 2015 in Chile/Brazil: photo by College João Paulo of Brazil and the University of Magallanes (UMAG).

11 December: International Mountain Day

Since 2003, December 11 is International Mountain Day as designated by the United Nations General Assembly. Annually, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) observes the day:

… to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.

•   Mountains cover almost one-quarter (22 percent) of the Earth’s surface.
•   Mountains host about 50 percent of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
•   Up to 80 percent of the world’s freshwater supply comes from mountains.
•   One in eight people (13 percent) around the world lives in the mountains.
•   Mountain tourism accounts for almost 20 percent of the worldwide tourism industry.

The following provides a glimpse to the mountain environments around the world and to the challenging conditions our ancestors would have faced and endured.


Around the planet

  1. Australia: Blue Mountains
  2. Austria: Kitzbühel Alps
  3. Brazil: Serra do Ibitiraquire
  4. Canada: BC Coastal Mountains
  5. Chile: Cordillera de los Andes (lower Andes)
  6. Chile: Cordillera de la Costa (Coastal Range)
  7. Germany: Wettersteingebirge
  8. México: Sierra de San Pedro Mártir
  9. New Zealand: Southern Alps
  10. South Africa: Table Mountain Group
  11. United States: Hawai’i


1. Australia: Blue Mountains

West from Sydney in Katoomba, New South Wales.

Three Sisters, Kings Tableland, Blue Mountains, Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia, fotoeins.com

At Echo Point in Katoomba as torrential rain approaches the Three Sisters. Mt. Solitary peak at right was known as “Mun-mi-ee” by the indigenous Gundungarra people. HL, 8 Jul 2007 (A510).

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2. Austria: Kitzbühel Alps

In Tirol’s Alpbach alpine valley.

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3. Brazil: Serra do Ibitiraquire

A part of Serra do Mar (Mountains of the Sea), near Morretes in Paraná state.

Serra do Ibitiraquire, mountains, Mirante, lookout, PR-410, Estrada da Graciosa, Paraná, Brazil, fotoeins.com

View north-northeast from Mirante Recanto Engenheiro Lacerda on highway PR-410. At left is Pico Paraná which at an elevation of 1877 metres (6158 feet) is the highest point in Paraná state and in southern Brazil. HL, 10 Jul 2011 (450D).

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4. Canada: BC Coastal Mountains

Northwest from Vancouver, BC.

Helijet's "West Coast Spectacular" Vancouver tour

Above Bowyer Island in the fjord called Howe Sound. The indigenous Squamish First Nations people have been present here for thousands of years before European colonization. HL, 16 May 2014 (6D1).

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5. Chile: Cordillera de los Andes

Lower Andes, near Vicuña in Región de Coquimbo (Región IV).

SOAR, Cerro Pachon, Gemini Observatory South, Gemini South, Region de Coquimbo, Chile, fotoeins.com

The SOAR telescope at Cerro Pachón, on an early winter afternoon – 15 Jul 2010 (450D).

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6. Chile: Cordillera de la Costa

Coastal mountain range in Región de Antofagasta (Región II).

European Southern Observatory, Cerro Paranal, VLT, Antofagasta, Chile, fotoeins.com

Telescopes & Residencia, of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) at Cerro Paranal. The arid desert, horizontal laminar air flow overhead, and its location far from artificial lights are prime conditions for astronomy. HL, 25 Nov 2009 (450D).

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7. Germany: Wettersteingebirge

As part of the Alps, the Wetterstein mountain range in southern Bavaria.

Wank, Zugspitze, Wetterstein, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bayern, Bavaria, Oberbayern, Upper Bavaria, Germany, Deutschland, fotoeins.com

From Wank summit, facing west towards Zugspitze in the distance at centre. HL, 28 May 2018 (X70).

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8. México: Sierra de San Pedro Mártir

Mountains along the spine of the Baja California peninsula.

Observatorio Astronomico Nacional, Sierra San Pedro Martir, Baja California, Mexico, fotoeins.com

Southeast view from México’s Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (National Astronomical Observatory). At centre is Picacho del Diablo, which at an elevation of 3096 metres (10157 feet) is the highest point in Baja California. HL, 16 Dec 2005 (A510).

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9. New Zealand: Southern Alps

Flyover near Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park on the South Island.

Air Safaris, Southern Alps, Westland National Park, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, South Island, New Zealand

On board The Grand Traverse flight tour. At left and right, respectively, are the nation’s 2 highest peaks: Horokoau (Mount Tasman) and Aoraki (Mount Cook). HL, 21 Jul 2012 (450D).

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10. South Africa: Table Mountain Group

Standing over Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans converge.

View from Table Mountain, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Muizenberg, Chapman's Peak, Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa

Facing south from the “back” of Table Mountain. HL, 13 Oct 2012 (450D).

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11. United States: Hawai’i

A remnant of the “hotspot”, near Kawaihae on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Kohala volcano, Mauna Kea Golf Course, Island of Hawaii, Big Island, Hawaii, USA, fotoeins.com

A decent view northeast from Mauna Kea Golf Course. Visible are cinder cones on the flank of the extinct volcano Kohala. HL, 8 Dec 2009 (450D).

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UN FAO International Mountain Day 2016. Photo by Amy Toensing for Getty Images.

Photo by Amy Toensing for Getty Images. UN FAO International Mountain Day 2016.


Except for the first and final images, I made all other photos labelled “HL” between 2005 and 2018 with the following devices: Canon A510 Powershot (A510), Canon XSi/EOS450D (450D), Canon EOS6D mark1 (6D1), and Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime (X70). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-99u.

3 Responses to “11 December: International Mountain Day”

    • fotoeins

      Thanks for your comment, Cornelia. I hadn’t thought of the Dolomites, but the resemblance is striking. I wonder if the chemical composition of the rocks at the Three Sisters is similar to the examples you listed. That’s an investigation for a future time. 🙂

      Like

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